ACCELERATE YOUR TECH CAREER
Our Tech Accelerator courses provide a unique opportunity to enhance your existing skillset, grow your knowledge and learn new skills to boost your tech career progression.
- Designed for career progression to a Mid-Level tech role
- Best for those with 1.5+ years of tech experience
- Free course with blended learning and interactive sessions
- Linked to partner job opportunities
ACCELERATE YOUR TECH CAREER
Our Tech Accelerator courses provide a unique opportunity to enhance your existing skillset, grow your knowledge and learn new skills to boost your tech career progression.
- Designed for career progression to a Mid-Level tech role
- Best for those with 1.5+ years of tech experience
- Free course with blended learning and interactive sessions
- Linked to partner job opportunities
ACCELERATE YOUR TECH CAREER
Our Tech Accelerator courses provide a unique opportunity to enhance your existing skillset, grow your knowledge and learn new skills to boost your tech career progression.
- Designed for career progression to a Mid-Level tech role
- Best for those with 1.5+ years of tech experience
- Free course with blended learning and interactive sessions
- Linked to partner job opportunities
WE NEED TO PROVIDE MORE CAREER PROGRESSIONS IN TECH
5%
of women are in leadership positions in tech. This needs to change!
50%
of women leave tech before age 35 and don’t come back.
60%
of women have left a role in tech due to an unclear progression pathway
PROGRESS YOUR CAREER WITH OUR FREE TECH ACCELERATORS
Designed for existing technology professionals, our Tech Accelerator courses enable learning alongside a full-time technology role. Upon successful completion, you will be ready to step into a new mid-level technology role or specialism at one of our partner companies.
95%
of Mid-Level Accelerator grads would recommend it to boost their careers in tech
86%
of Mid-Level Accelerator grads agree that this programme has taught them new and useful skills
MID-LEVEL ACCELERATOR: ENGINEERS & TESTERS
Our 16-week course includes key areas of tech, developing learners’ professional skills, encouraging group work and collaboration, technical innovation and specialist technical skill development.
Build up your T-shaped skill set
Learners will future-proof their career by building a T-shaped skill set and growing their technical knowledge and confidence across:
- Specialist skills development in either Python, Java, JavaScript, Data Engineering
- Agility and Automation
- DevSecOps
- Architecture
- Microservices
Harness innovative thinking
Learners will empower a ‘future-tech’ way of thinking to drive innovation and develop future tech solutions through focused modules on:
- Modern software development, testing and deployment
- Monitoring and analytics
- The future of full-stack
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Building inclusive products
Develop your professional skills
Learners will be part of the next generation of tech leaders, build technical leadership and product development skills:
- Product discovery
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Stakeholder management
- Presentation skills
- Lightning talks
- Sprint planning and demos
TECH ACCELERATOR: THREATOPS
This 12-week course equips learners with in-demand cyber defence skills, combining hands-on technical training, professional growth, and advanced threat and vulnerability analysis.
Strengthen cyber defence expertise
Learners will build a strong foundation in cyber security by exploring real-world threats and defences by focusing on:
- Cyber analysis: history of attacks, network security, vulnerabilities, and malware
- Cyber denial: reverse engineering and protocol analysis
- Cyber access: encryption, penetration testing, and security analysis
- Cyber infrastructure: malware defences, secure architecture, IP obfuscation, and incident response
Unlock vulnerability mitigation
Learners will gain the technical depth to uncover and mitigate vulnerabilities, with practical, hands-on modules covering:
- Programming fundamentals
- Assembly language basics and analysis
- Vulnerability discovery and exploitation
- Static and dynamic analysis and fuzzing
- Reverse engineering and exploitation techniques
Develop leaderships skills in cyber
Learners will develop the professional and leadership skills needed to thrive in cyber security roles:
- Ethical hacking practice and penetration testing
- Incident response planning and preventative maintenance
- Achieving industry-recognised qualifications and standards
- Teamwork, collaboration, and stakeholder communication
- Clear documentation and reporting of vulnerabilities to drive secure practices
TECH ACCELERATOR: AGENTIC SYSTEMS & AI INTELLIGENCE
This 12-week course will give you the skills to build and deploy production-ready AI systems, agents, and governance frameworks with real-world business impact.
Build and deploy AI Systems
Learners will feel empowered to build and deploy production-ready AI systems with real-world business impact by focusing on:
- Key AI architectures
- How to align AI capabilities with business objectives
- Exploring what makes an agent "agentic" and the differences between agents, chatbots, and LLM tools
- Advanced prompt engineering
- Data architecture and governance
Innovate with agentic workflows
Learners will cultivate a forward-thinking mindset to drive innovation and create cutting-edge technology solutions through modules focused on:
- Agentic workflows and tool use
- Deployment and automation
- Call external APIs and using low-code/no-code tools
- Research and synthesis agents to search, retrieve, summarise, and reflect
- Learning to integrate web search APIs and build research and synthesis flows
Lead AI production environments
Learners can become tech leaders by building technical and professional skills for a production environment. Key areas include:
- Learning to design scalable agent systems
- Stakeholder buy-in and the importance of change management for successful AI adoption
- Monitoring and evaluation for improving AI systems
- Real-world application by planning and building an agent or AI system with real deployment potential
UNLOCK NEW SKILLS TO ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER
Our Tech Accelerator programmes aim to help more women drive their tech careers forward and create future tech leaders across multiple industries.
Candidates who successfully pass the Tech Accelerator course will receive a certification and go on to roles within our sponsoring partner organisations or have the opportunity to be placed in a contract role post-course completion.
Eligibility criteria
Open to those already in tech with 1.5+ years technical/coding experience and existing proficiency in Software or Data Engineering (Python), Java or JavaScript.
This course will empower you with the skills, knowledge and career-proofing to take your tech career to the next level.
Course commitment
Mid-Level Accelerator for Software Engineers & Testers
Each candidate will complete a part-time 16-week course (with a break week included) to allow for flexibility around full-time work or other duties.
ThreatOps or Agentic AI Tech Accelerators
Each candidate will complete a part-time 12-week course to allow for flexibility around full-time work or other duties.
100% free to learners
Just like all of our courses, the Tech Accelerator courses are 100% free for all students. There are no secret or hidden fees, or pay us upon completion, and no debt.
We work with our partner companies to ensure this education is free for all learners.
Linked to employment opportunities
Our Tech Accelerator courses have two types of linked job opportunities. This will be either:
- Permanent roles with our sponsoring partner companies. These opportunities are listed when applications for each cohort open.
- Consultant roles with our partner companies. Upon successful completion of the course, you will have the opportunity to be contacted for a deployment/ placement with one of our partner companies.
Our Tech Accelerator programmes aim to help more women drive their tech careers forward and create future tech leaders across multiple industries.
Candidates who successfully pass the Tech Accelerator course will receive a certification and go on to roles within our sponsoring partner organisations or have the opportunity to be placed in a contract role post-course completion.
Eligibility criteria
Open to those already in tech with 1.5+ years technical/coding experience and existing proficiency in Software or Data Engineering (Python), Java or JavaScript.
This course will empower you with the skills, knowledge and career-proofing to take your tech career to the next level.
Course commitment
Mid-Level Accelerator for Software Engineers & Testers
Each candidate will complete a part-time 16-week course (with a break week included) to allow for flexibility around full-time work or other duties.
ThreatOps or Agentic AI Tech Accelerators
Each candidate will complete a part-time 12-week course to allow for flexibility around full-time work or other duties.
100% free to learners
Just like all of our courses, the Tech Accelerator courses are 100% free for all students. There are no secret or hidden fees, or pay us upon completion, and no debt.
We work with our partner companies to ensure this education is free for all learners.
Linked to employment opportunities
Our Tech Accelerator courses have two types of linked job opportunities. This will be either:
- Permanent roles with our sponsoring partner companies. These opportunities are listed when applications for each cohort open.
- Consultant roles with our partner companies. Upon successful completion of the course, you will have the opportunity to be contacted for a deployment/ placement with one of our partner companies.
OUR TECH ACCELERATOR OPPORTUNITIES
TECH ACCELERATOR INFORMATION
APPLICATION & COHORT DATES
Our Tech Accelerator courses are currently scheduled to take place twice a year. Applications for each of these cohorts open approximately three months before the start date to allow for assessment and interviews.
SPRING/SUMMER COHORT
- Applications: September
- Course: March
- Role start date: ~July/August
AUTUMN/WINTER COHORT
- Applications: March/April
- Course: August
- Role start date: ~January/February
APPLICATION PROCESS
The Tech Accelerator application process has a few stages to ensure all candidates have the right level of knowledge and are a good fit for the company and the role/s they are applying for. Our Tech Accelerators are an intensive course, so we want to give all candidates the best chance of being successful on the course!
APPLICATION PROCESS
1. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
Submit your application via the links below. Make sure you check eligibility criteria for the role.
Choose one company sponsor with a linked role.
2. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA CHECKS
You will need to meet the eligibility criteria of the Tech Accelerator (e.g. minimum 1.5+ years in a tech role)
Additionally, you will need to meet the eligibility of the company you are applying for.
3. COMPLETE THE TECH ASSESSMENT
The next stage is to complete a technical assessment.
You will be able to choose from either: Python, Java or JavaScript.
You will need to achieve 50% or more to pass and move to the next stage.
4. RECORD YOUR VIDEO INTERVIEW
You will be invited to complete a short video interview.
In this video interview we will want to understand more about your motivations for applying and see your personality shine!
5. ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENTS*
Occasionally, some companies will request additional assessments as part of the process. This may be in the form of a values-matching assessment or an additional technical assessment.
If additional assessments are required, they would usually occur at this stage of the process.
6. CONFIDENCE COACHING
After reviewing your video interview and ahead of the company interview stage, we will provide you with Confidence Coaching. Our coaching will be with mid- to senior-level coaches who will impart strategies, advice and techniques for interviews.
7. COMPANY INTERVIEW
The last stage is an interview with the company sponsoring your place and linked job role.
If you are sponsored by CFG and are open to consultant placements/roles, this step may take place post-course completion.
8. CONFIRMED PLACE
All candidates will be notified of their placement on the Tech Accelerator and as a next stage, will receive our onboarding documents and contract.
If you are not successful for a Tech Accelerator cohort, we encourage you to apply for the following cohort. Each cohort, we have more opportunities for placements.
COURSE DETAILS & LEARNING SCHEDULE
COURSE FORMAT
The programme is delivered in a blended format, where learners will take part in a mix of independent learning, collaborative live-lab sessions, and technical coaching to experience a full modern development life cycle.
This approach offers several benefits, including increased flexibility for learners to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule, and the ability to revisit materials as needed.
Our live labs provide opportunities for real-time interaction and direct feedback from instructors, and for direct skill application of content covered in the independent learning, creating a dynamic and engaging learning environment that complements the independent study.
COURSE COMMITMENT
The total engagement time would be:
- 4 hrs/week for Independent Learning
- 4 hrs/week for virtual Live Labs with live technical CFG instructors
- 4 hrs/week approx. on extended assessments, group project and revision (please note: this may differ between modules as some may require more or less additional engagement)
= ~12 hours/week
APPLICATIONS FOR THE SPRING/SUMMER 2026 COHORT WILL BE OPENING SOON
Register your interest via the form below and we’ll notify you of opportunities for our next cohort.
JavaScript (UI) Developer
- Manchester or Glasgow
- Job specific technical discipline: JavaScript
- Visa sponsorship: no
- Role start date: June 2026
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Barclays are proud to be offering spaces on the Mid-Level Accelerator, leading to a role at their Manchester or Glasgow location.
Operating in 38 countries, Barclays serves approximately 48 million customers. Spearhead the evolution of their digital landscape, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to deliver best-in-class user experience.
TOP THREE REASONS TO APPLY:
- Flexible & hybrid working
- Private medical care
- Competitive holiday allowance
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & ELIGIBILITY
- Two in-office days per week required
- Permanent right to work in the UK without restrictions or sponsorship OR a Skilled Worker Dependant visa
- English speaker
- Willing to undergo financial checks
JOB DESCRIPTION
Whether your skills are suited to designing and developing seamless digital journeys for users or aligned to testing and analysing user behaviour to enhance products, join the Barlcyas team as a JavaScript (UI) Developer upon successful completion of the Mid-Level Accelerator.
Please use the link below to view a sample job description from Barclays that aligns with our JavaScript discipline.
The full JavaScript (UI) Developer sample job description is available HERE.
MORE ABOUT BARCLAYS
Barclays is a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring purpose. Operating in 38 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted.
A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.
Please note: Only apply for ONE Mid-Level Accelerator role. We will capture other preferences in your form.
JAVA DEVELOPER
- Manchester or Glasgow
- Job specific technical discipline: Java
- Visa sponsorship: no
- Role start date: June 2026
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Barclays are proud to be offering spaces on the Mid-Level Accelerator, leading to a role at their Manchester or Glasgow location.
Operating in 38 countries, Barclays serves approximately 48 million customers. Spearhead the evolution of their digital landscape, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to deliver best-in-class user experience.
TOP THREE REASONS TO APPLY:
- Flexible & hybrid working
- Private medical care
- Competitive holiday allowance
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & ELIGIBILITY
- Two in-office days per week required
- Permanent right to work in the UK without restrictions or sponsorship OR a Skilled Worker Dependant visa
- English speaker
- Willing to undergo financial checks
JOB DESCRIPTION
Whether your skills are suited to designing and developing seamless digital journeys for users or aligned to testing and analysing user behaviour to enhance products, join the Barclays team as a Java Developer upon successful completion of the Mid-Level Accelerator.
The full Java Developer sample job description is available HERE.
MORE ABOUT BARCLAYS
Barclays is a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring purpose. Operating in 38 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted.
A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.
Please note: Only apply for ONE Mid-Level Accelerator role. We will capture other preferences in your form.
Education only
- All UK
- Technical disciplines: Java, JavaScript & Python
- Visa sponsorship: no
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
CFG is offering a limited number of spots for motivated individuals, with a minimum of 18 months tech experience, to enroll in the Mid-Level Accelerator program, enhance their skills and take their career to the next level.
100% free, the education only Mid-Level Accelerator will prepare you for the next step in your tech journey and can also open up doors to contracting opportunities with CFG partner companies.
This opportunity is open to all candidates with a wide range of tech experience, whether you’re looking to upskill, develop further, or re-enter the tech industry after a leave of absence.
TOP THREE REASONS TO APPLY:
- 100% free
- Develop leadership ready skills
- Linked to consultant placements
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & ELIGIBILITY
You are eligible to apply for the Mid-Level Accelerator as long as you meet the following criteria:
- 18 years or over at the time of application
- 18 months+ of experience working within a tech role
- Experience in working with either Python, Javascript or Java within the last 1.5-5 years
- The passion to excel in any technical discipline
- The commitment to move to the next level within your career, and an eagerness to learn and succeed
Please note: Only apply for ONE Mid-Level Accelerator role. We will capture other preferences in your form.
HEAR FROM THE TEAM AND COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY SUCCESS STORIES
“The Mid-Level Accelerator has equipped me to pursue more senior tech roles by providing me with advanced technical skills, industry insights, and professional confidence. The T-shaped skills, curriculum and challenging project ensured that I developed a deep understanding of complex concepts and honed my problem-solving abilities. The mentorship and career support offered by CFG were invaluable in helping me identify and prepare for senior roles. Additionally, the networking opportunities and connections I made during the programme have opened doors to new career prospects. Overall, the MLA has empowered me to take on leadership roles and contribute at a higher level in the tech industry.”
Lakshmi Kaneti
Mid-Level Accelerator Graduate
“I work as Tech Senior Product Owner, I was always drawn into engineering and tech. I want to stay in touch with the latest tech trends and gain more confidence to navigate through the tech organisations as a female. I was always interested how engineers use CI/CD but never understood it as well, MLA gave me a lot of knowledge but also a practical application of building modern software. I use GIT, CI/CD every day and also PR reviews, the content helped me to understand how the software is built so I can apply this to every day meetings when I discuss the roadmaps, tech designs with architects, migrations, tech debt etc. The highlight for me was to build frontend in React and to deploy my own work via CI/CD Github, and the fact that I could create a new branch, PR, merge my PR and see how the changes were implemented on the UI.”
Urszula Perry
Mid-Level Accelerator Graduate
FAQs
What is the Mid-Level Accelerator or Tech Accelerator?
The Mid-Level Accelerator (MLA) programme is open to any candidates with a minimum of 1.5+ years in a tech role, who wish to upskill their technical and professional skills to progress into mid-level roles within the tech industry.
The programme aims to develop and accelerate women with coding experience to the next level and help you move forward on your career path, no matter where you are in your career.
The MLA programme lasts for 16 weeks and will build on your existing skills across Software or Data Engineering (Python), Java or JavaScript.
Our Tech Accelerators (ThreatOps or Agentic AI) are also open to those with 1.5+ years of experience and looking to move into these specialisms inside a business. These courses run over 12 weeks.
Am I eligible for the Tech Accelerators?
You are eligible to apply for the Mid-Level Accelerator or Tech Accelerators as long as you :
- Identify as a woman
- Are 18 years or over at the time of application
- You must be available to accept a position within the sponsoring company and in their selected working region
- Have 1.5+ years of experience working in a tech role within the industry
- Have experience in working with either Python (Software or Data Engineering), JavaScript or Java within the last 2-5 years
- Have the passion to excel in any technical discipline
- Have the commitment to move to the next level within your career, and an eagerness to learn and succeed
Each sponsoring company has different requirements, so it’s important that you read each application carefully – especially regarding location, educational background and eligibility to work in the hiring country location (e.g. UK).
How does the application process work?
The application process is provided in detail above under “our tech accelerator opportunities”.
To apply for the MLA/Tech Accelerator you will need to complete the following steps:
- Read through all opportunities available, and ensure you understand the role you are applying for and meet the criteria and requirements
- Complete the application form and upload your CV
- If you meet all the eligibility criteria for the role applied for, you will be invited to complete a tech assessment
- Complete the industry-standard tech assessment within three (3) days of receiving it
- If you pass the tech assessment, you will be invited to the next stage, and asked to complete a short self-recorded online interview
- Ensure you have completed all steps by the deadline
- Once the deadline has passed, all applications will be considered, and if you are successful, you will receive an email inviting you to attend an interview
- You will be notified via email if you have not been successful following interview
- You may also receive an invitation to attend confidence coaching to support you at the interview stage
- Once interviewed, the company will shortlist all candidates and if successful, you will be offered a place on the MLA and a role within the company
- The role is dependent on course completion and the role begins after the course has ended, unless otherwise specified
I have already completed the CFGdegree, am I eligible to apply for the the MLA / Tech Accelerator?
If you have completed and passed the CFGdegree, and been in your tech role for over 1.5 years, you are eligible to apply for the MLA/Tech Accelerators.
You are also welcome to speak to your own company and ask if they would be willing to sponsor you on the course themselves.
It is not a requirement to have completed the CFGdegree with Code First Girls to apply for the MLA, but you must have at least 1.5 years of experience in a tech role.
I am already mid-level, can I apply?
Yes! There are many reasons that somebody who is already mid-level would like to apply – returning to tech after a long break, redundancy, a desire to change specialism.
We are open to this – please just make sure to carefully check the company requirements when applying to ensure you fit the criteria.
Do I need to resign from my current job?
Please read each company application criteria carefully, and do not resign from your current role until you have written confirmation from the company.
Yes, to accept a place on the MLA you will need to be prepared and willing to give notice to your current employer as agreed with your sponsoring company, if you are client-sponsored.
If you are CFG-Sponsored, you are not required to leave your role to take part in the MLA. However, we will endeavour to match all candidates to existing opportunities with our partners, so please bear this in mind when applying.
Can I apply if I am on a visa / need a visa / reside outside of the hiring country location (e.g UK)?
Please read our CFGdegree visa guidelines here, which also apply to our MLA/Tech Accelerator programmes.
We would also ask that you read the company requirements prior to applying, and ensure you meet this criteria to avoid being rejected further down the line.
If there are no opportunities that meet your current circumstances, please check the company requirements next cohort to see if there are opportunities for you.
How many times a year do you run the MLA/Tech Accelerator programmes?
Currently, we run the MLA twice a year with a Spring/Summer and an Autumn/Winter cohort.
More details on the timings of these can be found above under “our tech accelerator opportunities” section.